After midnight
by Seirin
Summary: After midnight. A time of silence, peace and oblivion. A time when a fight with one's own emotions and fears ceases, even if only for a moment. Hours so important for people from Seyrun Homicide Department, where you have lock your emotions away to survive. LZ
**Author's note**

I've been recently reading Scandinavian crime stories and I came up with something like that. I don't know if it's a prologue or a one shot. It appeared in my mind and I had to write it.

I'm as always warning English isn't my mother tongue, so be ready for errors.

I'll be grateful for every comment on if I should continue it or not :)

* * *

7:52 PM

In eight minutes one of the biggest parties held by the headquarter of the Homicide Department of the Seyrun Police was supposed to begin.

The investigation lasting over six months was finally over. The body of the murderer hit the ground before he succeeded in finishing off his last victim. Martina Zoana Mel Navratilova, the only successor of one of the oldest and the finest lineages of Seyrun barely survived when in the very last moment the heart of the madman was pierced through by a bullet from a gun of Lina Inverse.

Yes. Today's banquet was held mainly in her honor. Lina Inverse, the youngest Commissioner in the history of the Seyrun, a rising star of the Police, a beautiful and genial conqueror of bandits and killers.

7:53 PM

She managed to solve the case she had been working on for such a long time, but she didn't feel relief. In her mind appeared nothing but pangs of conscience.

She made a mistake. And a mistake made during a battle with a murderer was never forgiven. But this time she wasn't the one who had to pay the price.

7:54 PM

She had to go. Philionel wouldn't forgive her if she dared not to appear at this hateful party.

She sighed heavily, took a long last look at the empty desk standing on the opposite of her own working place and rushed towards the door.

* * *

11:23 PM

When she was getting closer to him, he could clearly see this characteristic blush, which appeared on her face always when she had drank a little more than she should have. On the other hand he wasn't much better. He reached for much more glasses of whisky that he had planned, but he still didn't exceed his standards. Anyway in comparison to the red-head woman, who touched her lips to his. He was in state, in which alcohol muted some stimuli only to strengthen others. He instinctively reciprocated the kiss. After a longer moment Lina stepped back to catch her breath, after which she started to unbutton her white uniform shirt. This view was the thing which made him sober up a bit, as he immediately caught her wrists to make her stop.

'What's wrong?' She asked with a bit of irritation in her voice.

'Lina we shouldn't be doing it now.'

The woman looked at him with a surprise, but few seconds later in her a little dull gaze appeared a glint of mischievousness.

'I think your little friend thinks otherwise…' She remarked with satisfaction, before raising her knee till she met a hardness.'

He ignored her with a great difficulty.

'I don't want you to regret it later.'

'Oh, stop being a noble asshole. It's not helping anybody. We both want it.'

'Right now you only want to forget.' He whispered.

Those words aroused her anger.

'Is that so bad?! Why can't we use each other to make ourselves feel better?!' She shouted, after which she remained silent for a longer moment. 'On the other hand' she added calmer 'what could I expect of you?' She laughed, but it was awfully bitter laugh. 'You are always doing it.' She looked significantly at his hands still grasping her own. 'You are always next to me, but as soon as I think you are at my fingertips, you step back. And I'm fed up with it, Zel. I'm fed up with you and myself for I'm still in this shit.' She leaned her head against his torso. 'I hate that about you. That you are always right.'

He didn't answer. He was only listening to words spoken with voice getting quieter and quieter.

'It was my fault…'

Pain and sadness contained in this sentence made her seem so fragile like never before. He knew Lina Inverse was strong. Unfortunately, she was too confident. He often warned her against putting too much faith in her own abilities. Especially when he made exactly the same mistake in the past.

'It's my fault that Gourry…'

He let go of her hands and hugged her lightly.

'…may not wake up ever again.'

He didn't comfort her. He was never good at telling lies. Condition of Gourry Gabriev's was severe. There was no guaranty he would ever come out coma. He could only listen to her mute crying, offering her the only consolation in the form of warmth of another human being.

* * *

It was after midnight, when the door of one of social rooms designed for investigators spending long night hours at work opened. Filia Ul Copt, one of the members of Special Ops of Seyrun responsible for direct cooperation with Homicide Dapertment, smiled sadly, when she looked at sleeping silhouette of Lina in arms of Zelgadis, who fell asleep in a sitting position leaning against the sofa. A small room was filled with a smell of alcohol mixed with a delicate floral scent. The key lied forgotten on the ground in the furthest corner among two uniform jackets.

So this pair needed a tragedy to finally open up to each other. They weren't the only ones. In this work people often hid their emotions deep inside their hearts, thinking that that was the only way to constantly associate with a human's disaster. But it was a two-edged sword. Because of the very reason many of them never spoke the words, which should be verbalized. A daily meeting eye to eye with death made people realize how fragile a human life was. How easy was to take it away, destroying at the very same time a possibility to tell a second person the thing, that was truly important.

She reached for a laying on a nearby chair blanket and covered the sleeping two with it.

Tomorrow will be a time, when pain and sadness come back. When in a light of a day and somberness of a mind one would have to decide how react to words spoken in the safety of darkness and intoxication.

But right now it was only after midnight. A time of silence, peace and oblivion. A time when a fight with one's own emotions and fears ceased, even if only for a moment.

'Sleep well.' Filia whispered after she gently closed the door.


End file.
